Technology & IT

Cloud-based system helps manage medication delivery

Partnering companies launch "digital pillbox" medication management program for both patients and caregivers. Read More »

National survey reveals gaps in opioid PCA pump practices

The first national survey of patient-controlled pain medication pumps has revealed red flags in how patient vitals are monitored and how risk factors are calculated. Read More »

National pharmacy reaches milestone

A year-old pharmacy provider's onsite dispensing system gains a national footprint of over 100 post-acute care facilities.  Read More »

Partnership aims at reducing pressure ulcers, falls

New technology to reduce falls gathers data from under-mattress sensors and transmits them to a computer or mobile device. Read More »

Mobile phone app protects home healthcare providers, patients

A new mobile phone application can alert remote home healthcare staff of emergencies with the touch of a button. Read More »

Front Porch executives enrolled in innovative training program

Front Porch becomes first non-profit to embrace Innovator's Accelerator program for leadership training.  Read More »

Tech tool enables remote activity participation

Live from LeadingAge: Technology that would allow seniors to participate in senior living community activities remotely has won the inaugural HackFest. Read More »

Leading EHR to integrate wound management solution

MatrixCare and WoundRounds team up to provide integrated, cloud-based wound-care solution  Read More »

Sensors, other steps could improve resident sleep

Technology is just one of many ways to help residents get enough sleep, according to recent research, which suggests ways to address staffing level and shift pattern issues that can lead to sleep problems. Read More »

SNF docs may prevent adverse drug events with mobile devices

Adverse drug events are linked to nearly 93,000 deaths in nursing homes, according to a new study. Read More »

Intelligent eyeglasses may improve gait for people with Parkinson’s

As intelligent eyeglasses become available to consumers, researchers at the University of Twente in Amsterdam, Netherlands, are exploring the potential for their use in reducing the incidents of falls related to Parkinson’s disease. Read More »

One on one with… Larry Wolf

Technology-related issues and trends in long-term care were on the agenda when Larry Wolf, health information technology strategist with post-acute service provider Kindred Healthcare, recently spoke with Long-Term Living. Read More »

2 technology-related action steps for long-term care providers

Communication is at the heart of two relationships vital to success in technology implementation and use in long-term care, according to one expert. Read More »

4 technology trends in post-acute and long-term care

Care, staffing, and workflow processes and tools all are changing as technology and the healthcare system adapt to one another, according to one expert. Read More »

The day the keyboard died

When a simple piece of equipment goes on the fritz it can stop a person with disabilities in their tracks. Finding the right replacement product isn’t always as easy as it sounds, as Kathleen Mears recently experienced when her computer keyboard quit on her. Read More »

CAST launches selection tool for telehealth/remote monitoring systems

Long-term and post-acute care organizations now have a new tool to help them evaluate and select telehealth and remote patient monitoring systems. Read More »

Telehealth, safety monitoring increasingly popular among seniors, caregivers

Remote monitoring technology capabilities, an aging population and the increased costs typically associated with caring for seniors are combining to drive the global market in elder-care technologies to high growth, according to one research firm. Read More »

Report: Less than 1/5 of LTC communities had EHRs in 2010

Long-term care communities have made strides in technology acceptance, but most still lag far behind acute care in electronic health record system adoption. Read More »

Aging brains benefit from video game

Participants in a recent study experienced improved performance in three cognitive areas after they played a specially designed video game. Read More »

Stress may precede falls, and new technology may detect them

New research finds that older men experiencing the death of a loved one or financial problems are more likely to fall within the next year. Technology under development may help detect such falls, however, and notify caregivers for assistance. Read More »

Technology grows as a priority for LTC business

Got tech? Many long-term care communities are already adopting electronic health records, but Long-Term Living’s readers told us their technology plans also include e-medication administration technology, wander management/safety systems and an increasing awareness of the business impacts of technology on delivering quality care. Read More »

App designed to foster interaction between adults with dementia, caregivers

A new app expands on a popular live program that provides an alternative way for older adults with cognitive disabilities to communicate and reflect on their life experiences while enjoying themselves in the moment. Read More »

Assisted Living 2.0

As more seniors age in place, the assisted living model undergoes a substantial redesign to meet the needs of the coming Baby Boomer generation and the increasing need for memory care. Read More »

App will be ‘virtual coach’ for LTC caregivers

Caregivers will be better able to communicate residents’ healthcare preferences to providers at skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities after using an app under development, researchers hope. Read More »

Remote patient-monitoring technology still faces reimbursement roadblock

Device improvements as well as changes in government incentives, nursing staffing levels and the size of the senior population will lead to greater adoption of telemedicine in long-term care, but reimbursement remains a challenge for now. Read More »

What a difference one year makes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services birthed several key initiatives last year, including edicts to reduce unnecessary antipsychotic drug doses,  preventable readmissions and avoidable infections. In other words, edicts for long-term care to do its job right. Read More »

Mostashari steps down from ONC

Farzad Mostashari, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) for the past four years, has announced his resignation. Read More »

What LTC nurses want from EHRs

The electronic health record (EHR) systems used in hospitals don't have all the functionality needed for use in long-term and post-acute care, say the industry's nurses. Amid new initiatives for closer care coordination between acute care and long-term care, technology experts and caregivers urge vendors to develop more robust health record systems for LTC. Read More »

New senior living, post-acute online courses in the works

Those working in the senior living and post-acure environments will have new coursework available to them when the fruits of an industry collaboration are realized. Read More »

Medical record access focus of 10-state HIE effort

Ensuring the availability of medical records after a disaster is the goal of a new collaboration involving 10 states. Read More »